"Being Black, Jewish & Israeli" with Head of School Jay Leberman & Naftali Aklum
- What
- "Being Black, Jewish & Israeli" with Head of School Jay Leberman & Naftali Aklum
- When
- 10/23/2022, 1:00 PM
- Where
- Zoom Link below.
Dear Mandel JDS Families and Supporters,
Many of us have a basic human need to identify with something larger than ourselves. As individuals and communities, we create identities through our behaviors and experiences that are shaped by our cultures, values, narratives, and histories. Our identities relate to every aspect of our lives. A colleague of mine, Dr. Aaron Tapper has written, “21st century identities are complex. Whether based on age, citizenship, culture, ethnicity, gender, nationality, physical ability, physical appearance, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, or something else entirely, our social identities have a great deal of meaning for us and for those around us.”
With this in mind, Mandel JDS is sponsoring a series of zoom encounters this year with individuals from across the globe who will share their intriguing stories of how they balance their multiple identities. I have been blessed to have had opportunities to travel the world and meet some of these incredible individuals with their fascinating personal stories. What is oftentimes so remarkable about them is their uncanny ability to navigate multiple and sometimes conflicting identities.
Our first zoom session is titled, “Being Black, Jewish, and Israeli,” and will be given by Naftali Aklum. Naftali was born in Ethiopia in 1979. The following year, in 1980, his family was among the first groups of Ethiopian Jews to emigrate to Israel via Sudan. He is the youngest of 12 siblings and his late brother Ferede Aklum was the first Ethiopian Jew to make the journey to Jerusalem via Sudan, setting the stage for others to follow in his footsteps.
Naftali graduated from Ben Gurion University in 2008. He has taken an active role in educating Jewish communities in Israel and around the world about the richness of Ethiopian culture and history as well as the difficulties of integration and acceptance into mainstream Israeli society. He will share with us his struggles, challenges, and successes in navigating a meaningful but complex life in an increasingly pluralistic Israeli society that views its communal diversity as a source of strength.
This special program will take place on Sunday, October 23rd at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Zoom Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2700882488?pwd=aHRJQTN5Y2h3UHBvZXIzWkNFc0xVUT09#success
Passcode: Mandel
Naftali and I look forward to welcoming you.
B’vracha,
Jay